1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emotion detecting method, a sensibility generating method, a system of the same and software for executing the same. The emotion detecting method of the present invention can be utilized for emotion detection in a medical field and for a variety of systems as a part of artificial intelligence and artificial sensibility. Furthermore, a sensibility generating method of the present invention can be utilized for a variety of systems used in many ways for controlling the sensibility of virtual humans and robots.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional arts related to the emotion detecting method of the present invention have been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. Hei5-12023, Hei9-22296, and Hei11-119791.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei5-12023 discloses that the continuation time of voice, the formant frequency of voice, and the intensity of voice for each frequency are respectively detected as amounts of characteristic of the voice. Furthermore, this gazette also discloses that a difference between a reference signal and the respective amounts of characteristic is detected and emotion detection is made by fuzzy inference based on the detected difference amount.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei9-22296 discloses that a generating rate of voices (the number of mora per unit time), a voice pitch frequency, sound volume, and voice spectrum are detected as amounts of characteristic of the voice. Furthermore, this gazette also discloses that emotions are detected based on the detected amounts of characteristic and results obtained by statistically processing HMM (Hidden Markov Model).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei11-119791 discloses that emotions are detected based on a probability of phoneme spectrum in its transition state by utilizing HMM.
On the other hand, as conventional arts related to the sensibility generating method of the present invention, for example, “Emotion Generating System and Emotion Generating Method” disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei11-265239 is known.
Emotions which express the internal states of humans and the like change variously depending on situations at that time. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei11-265239 discloses the technology for realizing generation of emotions in unpredictable situations.
Specifically, situations are evaluated in view of the predictable situations, and system's own emotion is generated. In addition, emotions that were actually generated in the past and situations at that time are analyzed, and unpredictable collateral conditions peculiar to the respective situations and emotions corresponding thereto are learned. When a situation newly inputted satisfies the collateral conditions, emotions corresponding to the collateral conditions are outputted.
The states of the emotions generated by such a system are reflected on, for example, voices and images that are outputted.